Celebrating International Nurses Day at Garden Village
“Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for nurses strengthens economies.”
At Garden Village, we are proud to honour International Nurses Day 2025 and shine a light on the vital role nurses play in our community and across the aged care sector.
This year’s International Council of Nurses (ICN) theme, “Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for nurses strengthens economies,” reminds us that by supporting our nurses, we strengthen our entire healthcare system.
Held each year on 12 May—Florence Nightingale’s birthday—International Nurses Day is a chance to say thank you and inspire the next generation. Guests include students from Hastings Secondary College and Heritage Christian School who aspire to a career in the health sector.
The event, including a panel discussion and special scholarship presentation, honours nurses past and present and creates an engaging forum to discuss the future of the profession in a changing world.
Guests were encouraged to write a message of thanks to nurses to be displayed on the International Nurses Day Gratitude Wall – or share a message online.
Panel Discussion: Stories Across Nursing Generations
Our 2025 panel hosted by CEO Craig Wearne brings together a wonderful mix of voices—from early career nurses to nurse educators and long-time advocates for aged care.
The panel includes:
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Kate Boath, TAFE NSW Education Support Officer for Nursing and Aged Care.
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Maddie Bowers, Campus Lead Nursing, Charles Sturt University
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Cheryl Pearson, Retired Nurse and President of the Garden Village Auxiliary
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Narin Searle, Enrolled Nurse, Garden Village
- Tammie Gough, General Manager Aged Care Garden Village
Celebrating Our Scholarship Recipients
The presentation will be hosted by our General Manager of Aged Care, Tammie Gough, and celebrates the next generation of passionate, dedicated nurses.
This year’s scholarships includes:
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Garden Village Auxiliary Scholarships awarded to Jessee Bevan and Vaughan Howarth
Awarded to two Enrolled Nurses at TAFE NSW, generously funded by our wonderful Auxiliary Committee. Each scholarship is valued at $5,000. -
Garden Village Scholarship Fund awarded to Molly Ware and Amber Miller
Supporting two Registered Nurses studying at Charles Sturt University, each receiving a $5,000 scholarship to support their learning and development.
We are honoured to welcome Kate Boath from TAFE NSW to present the Enrolled Nurse scholarships, and from Charles Sturt University, Maddie Bowers, Campus Engagement Academic, and Kate Wood Foye, Director of External Engagement, to present the Registered Nurse awards.’
“Creating space for conversations between educational partners and Garden Village Nurses on International Nurses Day —strengthens our whole community and creates valuable connections to support the development of a nursing workforce in our region which positively impacts the future of ageing” said Craig Wearne CEO Garden Village. “We’re grateful to everyone who joins us to mark this special day, and proud to continue supporting the next generation of nurses.”
We thank our partners TAFE NSW, Charles Sturt University, and our incredible Garden Village Auxiliary for helping make this celebration so special.
Residents who were once nurses shared photos from their early nursing careers.
To all nurses—past, present and future—thank you.
